I think Yuna is amazing and deserves all the medals in the world! But it must be frustrating for skaters at the top like Carolina and Mao who fought so hard all this time, and then she just arrives and leaves them all behind with almost no chance of catching up. Hard!

Very true, but sport is sport. Yuna doesn't owe her competitors anything.

I think the only skater that could challenge Yuna is Gracie Gold. If Gold can hire a better choreographer and work hard on polishing her postures(I think she has good body lines) and if She can handle the pressure and lands everything with a better program, I believe she can challenge Yuna.

I think the only skater that could challenge Yuna is Gracie Gold. If Gold can hire a better choreographer and work hard on polishing her postures(I think she has good body lines) and if She can handle the pressure and lands everything with a better program, I believe she can challenge Yuna.

I think that's asking to much. Even if the Olympics were in 2016 i'm not sure Gracie would be good enough.

I think the only skater that could challenge Yuna is Gracie Gold. If Gold can hire a better choreographer and work hard on polishing her postures(I think she has good body lines) and if She can handle the pressure and lands everything with a better program, I believe she can challenge Yuna.

If she can actually match Yuna's mental focus under pressure, then Gracie can challenge Yuna technically, but that's about it. Her PCS marks are not going to soar from 7's to 9's over just one GP season. I just don't see it happening, but that's what it would take to beat Yuna in good condition. (Yuna in top condition like at Worlds, I don't think Gracie has any hope of beating that.)

Yeah I agree. Gold would realistically have way too much PCS in just a single year to challenge Yu Na, even if she starts doing her very best technically in competition (in which case she could make the TES close, but that is it). If she works hard on her artistry maybe she could reach the point in 2 or 3 years to challenge a hypothetical Yu Na, but Yu Na will be gone (or atleast taking a break) by then anyway so she wont need to worry about her, LOL!

I think the only skater that could challenge Yuna is Gracie Gold. If Gold can hire a better choreographer and work hard on polishing her postures(I think she has good body lines) and if She can handle the pressure and lands everything with a better program, I believe she can challenge Yuna.

I think Gracie has the potential to become the "next" Yuna, so to speak, if she shows that she can manage her nerves and skate clean programs under pressure. Also, her team needs to get her to David Wilson, stat, before the airplane arms and somewhat frantic movements become habit. But at the Olympics, Gracie won't likely be ready to challenge for a medal, much less challenge Yuna herself--her PCS leaves a lot of room for others to sneak in front of her.

DANCE
1. Virtue/Moir (Don't underestimate them just because they were behind this season...that mostly had to do with their programs, and you can bet they'll have much more judge-friendly programs next season)
2. Davis/White
3. Bobrova/Soloviev
4. Weaver/Poje
5. Pechalat/Bourzat

PAIRS
1. Volosozhar/Trankov
2. Savchenko/Szolkowy
3. Pang/Tong (I just have a hunch they'll pull it together for the Olympics)
4. Duhamel/Radford
5. Kavaguti/Smirnov

It's not Yuna's fault that these two lost. They lost because they made too many mistakes.

Who knows what kind of PCS they would get if they were clean in the LP. Caro gave up at least 10 points on the TES front and god knows how many on the PCS front in the LP alone. Mao gave up at least as much. They have to be more consistent. I'm sure they are not begrudging Yuna because they messed up badly.

I think if all 3 ladies skate clean it will be a lot closer then people think.

I think if all 3 ladies skate clean it will be a lot closer then people think.

Perhaps but I am not sure how you actually beat Yu Na when she is getting +3s on almost everything and 10s in PCS. The only way to possibly beat that is to have more difficulty. Kostner doesnt have more difficulty or a higher base value, at best she has equal, and as I said how do you pass someone based on GOE and PCS who is getting all kinds of +3s and 10s. So even though she would be the closest to Yu Na potentially in GOE and PCS I dont see where she would actually get ahead, just possibly get close (not to mention she has never done a clean 7 triple program in an international event in her life, but that is a seperate topic of sorts). Asada does have a significantly higher base value than both Kim and Kostner but gives up a ton of points to both in GOE and PCS, even in a hypothetical clean skate that I dont think it would matter, and I dont think she is even capable of a clean skate with the jump layout she is trying either. Clean for her would still be with 1 or 2 downgrades, 1 or 2 two footed jumps. Basically a skater would need to be doing Asada's jump layout and getting near perfect GOE and PCS also to actually pass Kim.

In the SP at Worlds it looked like even a clean Kim might be beatable, but the LP was back to Vancouver essentialy.

Perhaps but I am not sure how you actually beat Yu Na when she is getting +3s on almost everything and 10s in PCS. The only way to possibly beat that is to have more difficulty. Kostner doesnt have more difficulty or a higher base value, at best she has equal, so even though she would be the closest to Yu Na potentially in GOE and PCS I dont see where she would actually get ahead, just possibly get close (not to mention she has never done a clean 7 triple program in an international event in her life, but that is a seperate topic of sorts). Asada does have a significantly higher base value than both Kim and Kostner but gives up a ton of points to both in GOE and PCS, even in a hypothetical clean skate that I dont think it would matter, and I dont think she is even capable of a clean skate with the jump layout she is trying either. Clean for her would still be with 1 or 2 downgrades, 1 or 2 two footed jumps. Basically a skater would need to be doing Asada's jump layout and getting near perfect GOE and PCS also to actually pass Kim.

In the SP at Worlds it looked like even a clean Kim might be beatable, but the LP was back to Vancouver essentialy.

You are probably right but If I were a judge the only elements I would have given Yuna +3GOE's on in her FS were her 3/3 combo and her 3F. I wish Mao could fix her UR issues because it would be so great to see a real competition between 3 amazing skaters if they all skated clean.

Perhaps but I am not sure how you actually beat Yu Na when she is getting +3s on almost everything and 10s in PCS. The only way to possibly beat that is to have more difficulty. Kostner doesnt have more difficulty or a higher base value, at best she has equal, and as I said how do you pass someone based on GOE and PCS who is getting all kinds of +3s and 10s. So even though she would be the closest to Yu Na potentially in GOE and PCS I dont see where she would actually get ahead, just possibly get close (not to mention she has never done a clean 7 triple program in an international event in her life, but that is a seperate topic of sorts). Asada does have a significantly higher base value than both Kim and Kostner but gives up a ton of points to both in GOE and PCS, even in a hypothetical clean skate that I dont think it would matter, and I dont think she is even capable of a clean skate with the jump layout she is trying either. Clean for her would still be with 1 or 2 downgrades, 1 or 2 two footed jumps. Basically a skater would need to be doing Asada's jump layout and getting near perfect GOE and PCS also to actually pass Kim.

In the SP at Worlds it looked like even a clean Kim might be beatable, but the LP was back to Vancouver essentialy.

In 4CC, Mao actually demonstrated how one could potentially beat Yuna. If she can manage to skate a clean SP with a 3Axel and a 3/3, she'll be way ahead in the SP. This means she won't even have to beat Yuna in the long program at all. The potential is there now with the new rule put in place after Vancouver to allow solo 3Axels in the women's SP. How likely is she going to do a short program with a 3Axel, a 3loop/3loop and a solo 3Flip and actually get full credit for all them? The short has never been Asada's strength, and to attempt such an ambitious layout seems a bit desperate.

For Kostner, it's a taller order, since going forward I think she'll continue to be left behind in the short. That makes it even harder to overtake Yuna in the long. But she can do it if Yuna makes mistakes. The funny thing is, it is far more like for Carolina to make mistakes than Yuna.

I think the only skater that could challenge Yuna is Gracie Gold. If Gold can hire a better choreographer and work hard on polishing her postures(I think she has good body lines) and if She can handle the pressure and lands everything with a better program, I believe she can challenge Yuna.

Originally Posted by ks777

I think the only skater that could challenge Yuna is Gracie Gold. If Gold can hire a better choreographer and work hard on polishing her postures(I think she has good body lines) and if She can handle the pressure and lands everything with a better program, I believe she can challenge Yuna.

I agree that she has a GOOD chance if she skates the best she can. Her speed, personality, lines...She has it all She just needs to be consistents and that's a huge deal. I'd personally add to the list of girls who CAN compare somehow with Yuna Zidjun Li and Osmond. I'm sure less about Osmond because shee needs to improve her jumps+ increase the difficulty. But all of them are special and has a shot for podium if clean!

In 4CC, Mao actually demonstrated how one could potentially beat Yuna. If she can manage to skate a clean SP with a 3Axel and a 3/3, she'll be way ahead in the SP. This means she won't even have to beat Yuna in the long program at all.

Good point. That is possible. Although I think Yu Na's next clean SP will be alot higher than her Worlds SP score where she was held back by a variety of things- bizarre edge call on the flip meaning she got -GOE vs the usual huge positive GOE; unusually mediocre PCS due to a bit of a flat and blahish performance, her starting order, and reappearing on such a big stage while others had shone in her absence; if I recall even one or two of her levels were down too. Still I think Mao's strategy of doing a 3 axel and 3-3 both in the SP is a bold and courageous one, one with potentially huge reward but also huge risk. Some of the younger guard improve and she could end up right out of the medals if she has a SP like in London. Hit everything, and she could indeed gain the edge on Kim and Kostner she needs, and probably wont be able to get just in the LP.